Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell: Cedar Rapids schools’ facility plan ‘hollowing’ out city core

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids City Council members voiced concern Wednesday about schools near downtown and on the west side of the city closing under a facility master plan proposed by school leaders.

Under the plan, the number of middle schools in the district would be reduced from six to four and a stronger feeder system would be created for students in K-12. School leaders believe this would provide more equitable services to all students and reduce operational and maintenance costs for the district.

The plan requires a combined $445 million bond referendum to be approved by voters — the first half of which could go to voters in November. The second bond referendum of $225 million could go to voters in November 2029.

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“I don’t see how this passes in November,” Ashley Vanorny, a city council member who also has been a part of the school district’s facility master planning committee, said in a joint meeting between the city council and Cedar Rapids school board Wednesday.

The plan includes building a 1,200-student middle school at a new site on the north side of Cedar Rapids. The site has not yet been presented to the school board, Cedar Rapids schools director of operations Jon Galbraith said at a school board meeting last week.

Franklin Middle School, 300 20th St NE, Cedar Rapids, would be converted in to an 800-student school for seventh- and eighth-graders. Sixth-graders in the Franklin school boundary would attend McKinley, 620 10th St SE, Cedar Rapids, which would be converted into a school for 400 sixth-graders.

Another new 1,200-student middle school would be built on the site of Taft Middle School, 5200 E Ave NW, Cedar Rapids.

At Kennedy, Jefferson and Washington high schools, additions would be built for career and technical education and new turf fields added.

Wilson, Roosevelt and Harding middle schools would be closed under the initial plan, and the hope is the buildings would be repurposed into some other use by developers.

The plan also includes elementary school projects — including building new and renovating current schools. These projects would be funded by SAVE — or Secure an Advanced Vision for Education — and PPEL — the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy — capital projects funds for the purchase and improvement of grounds, purchase, construction and remodeling of buildings and major equipment purchases, including technology. SAVE is funded by an existing sales tax allocated by the state to school districts based on enrollment. PPEL is funded by property taxes.

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Vanorny said the plan would place one of the 1,200-student middle schools — at the current Taft location — in an area with the lowest median income.

For families currently in the Wilson Middle School attendance zone, 2301 J St SW, Cedar Rapids, Vanorny said the plan asks them to go across town for school to “quite honestly, the richer neighborhoods” at a time when school districts are struggling to find an adequate number of bus drivers.

“You’re basically closing all the middle schools on the west side,” Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said.

The plan includes a “shiny new middle school” built in the “least diverse neighborhood with the highest socioeconomic opportunities” in Cedar Rapids, O’Donnell said. “We’re going to expect our marginalized communities with the most challenges to get on a bus,” she said.

O’Donnell also said the city council has been “incredibly focused” on the downtown core of the city, with about 1,000 new living units opening this fall. “That’s just the beginning,” she said.

The school district’s plan “hollows” out the city,“ O’Donnell said.

“Schools are development drivers. People move to neighborhoods because of public safety and because of schools,” O’Donnell said. Moving schools out of the core of the city is “one way I know for sure they’re not going to move to those neighborhoods. I believe your property is going to be worthless without schools in those neighborhoods.”

“I want to support shiny new schools where all the growth is and I want to make sure we are not giving up on our city schools,” O’Donnell said. “By not investing in the west side, I’m afraid that’s going to happen.”

Dale Todd, a city council member, said the “elephant” in the room is “white flight,” the phenomenon of white people moving out of urban areas, particularly those with significant historically marginalized populations, and into suburban areas. “Those issues are at the root of not just this district but other districts all over.”

Superintendent Tawana Grover said she wants Cedar Rapids schools to be able to compete with neighboring districts like College Community and Linn-Mar. Students are “opting out” of Cedar Rapids schools, she said.

Educators who have turned down jobs in the district have said it’s because other districts offer newer facilities, Grover said.

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School board member Dexter Merschbrock said it’s “too quick” to get signatures by Aug. 7, to put the bond referendum language on the ballot. At least 25 percent of the number of registered voters in the district voting in the last election of school officials — about 6,400 — must sign the petition, according to Iowa Code.

“There is broad support for a plan, to invest in our schools. I think we can get something passed, but I think it needs to be the right projects,” Merschbrock said. “I don’t know how we could be comfortable given concerns raised tonight with an election this year.”

“I feel strongly that investment in our school is right and it’s right now and that investment in our schools is great for our city,” school board President David Tominsky said.

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